Product comparison
Garmin R10 vs Garmin R50
The Garmin R10 saves thousands of dollars; the Garmin R50 adds a built-in screen and spin measured from regular balls.
By Dean Pitton ·
Launch monitors
Product comparison
Rapsodo MLM2PRO vs Square Golf
The Rapsodo MLM2PRO works outdoors and records swing video, but spin and club path need Premium and spin also needs RPT-patterned balls; Square Golf Home Edition includes spin, club path and putting indoors with marked balls and a shaft sticker.
By Dean Pitton ·
Best of
Best Launch Monitors for Outdoor Practice
The Bushnell Launch Pro is our pick because its cameras measure spin before the ball reaches the net, so a backyard net gives you the same numbers as the range.
By Dean Pitton ·
Feature comparison
Indoor vs Outdoor Launch Monitors
Most launch monitors work at home and at the range; the ones that don’t are mostly ceiling-mounted units built for a simulator room.
By Dean Pitton ·
Feature comparison
Overhead vs Floor Launch Monitors
An overhead launch monitor lets left- and right-handed golfers take turns without moving it or adding depth behind the ball, and most floor launch monitors cost a fraction as much.
By Dean Pitton ·
Best of
Best Launch Monitors for Putting
The Uneekor Eye Mini is our pick because owners say the Eye Mini family reads putts and chips well, and other picks cover a dedicated putting mode, full putting analysis and left- and right-handed golfers sharing one setup.
By Dean Pitton ·
Best of
Best Golf Launch Monitors Under $2,000
The Square Golf Omni is our pick because owners say its ball data matches premium monitors, and it measures spin, club path and impact location without a subscription.
By Dean Pitton ·
Product comparison
Garmin Approach R50 vs Foresight GC3
The Garmin R50 plays courses on the R50 screen, while the Foresight GC3 uses a Windows PC for courses and is easier to take to the range.
By Dean Pitton ·
Product comparison
Rapsodo MLM2PRO vs FlightScope Mevo Gen 2
The Rapsodo MLM2PRO costs less to buy, and the FlightScope Mevo Gen 2 shows spin in a free app.
By Dean Pitton ·
Feature comparison
Launch Monitor vs Golf Simulator
A launch monitor and a net already let you play courses on your phone or TV. A full simulator makes a round feel like you’re on the course, and owners say that’s what gets partners who don’t golf playing too.
By Dean Pitton ·
Feature comparison
Do you need a PC for a golf simulator?
You need a gaming PC only for GSPro or a launch monitor whose software runs only on Windows; many others play courses in an app on your phone or iPad.
By Dean Pitton ·
Feature explainer
How to choose a golf simulator enclosure and impact screen
Going with a budget enclosure? Its thin padding lets balls ricochet off the frame and bottom bar, and owners fix that with dense memory foam or gutter foam over the bars.
By Dean Pitton ·
Feature explainer
How to build a golf simulator shed
A stock shed's walls are too low for driver, so plan on about 10 feet of finished ceiling where you swing.
By Dean Pitton ·
Feature explainer
How to build a DIY golf simulator
Is your ceiling high enough? At 9 ft, most DIY builders swing driver with a flat swing.
By Dean Pitton ·
Feature explainer
When do golf launch monitors go on sale?
Black Friday is the launch monitor sale owners talk about most, and sales also come around Labor Day, Prime Day and at other times of year.
By Dean Pitton ·
Feature explainer
How much ceiling height and space does a golf simulator need?
Plan for a ceiling of at least 9 feet and a room at least 15 feet deep and 10 feet wide.
By Dean Pitton ·
Best of
Best Launch Monitors for a Garage or Room With Limited Depth
The Uneekor Eye Mini is our pick because owners say Eye Mini distances match their course numbers and the Eye Mini reads nearly every shot, and other picks cover left- and right-handed golfers sharing one setup and a tighter budget.
By Dean Pitton ·
Feature comparison
Radar vs Camera Launch Monitors
Radar launch monitors follow the ball from behind you and need depth in your room, and camera launch monitors photograph the ball at impact from beside it or above it.
By Dean Pitton ·
Best of
Best Launch Monitors Without a Subscription
The Uneekor Eye Mini is our pick because owners say it reads virtually every shot and its cameras measure spin and club path, and other picks cover GSPro without the maker's plan, a screen and remote, and a tight budget.
By Dean Pitton ·
Feature explainer
How to set up a golf simulator in your garage
A garage holds a golf simulator when the ceiling over your swing reaches about 9 feet; plan for a screen that rolls up, a garage door opener moved out of your swing, and heat for the winter.
By Dean Pitton ·
Best of
Best Golf Launch Monitors Under $500
The Voice Caddie SC300i is our pick because owners say SC300i carry distances are close enough to learn their wedge and iron yardages, and other picks suit golfers who want to play simulator software, are on a tight budget, or train for swing speed.
By Dean Pitton ·
Feature explainer
Will a golf simulator fit in your basement?
Most launch monitors fit a basement with 9 feet under the beams and ducts and 15 feet deep; under 9 feet, a launch monitor fits if your driver clears the beams with 6 inches to spare.
By Dean Pitton ·
Guide
How much does a golf simulator cost?
A home golf simulator can be as simple as a launch monitor, a net and a mat, and the cost climbs into the thousands with an impact screen, a projector and a computer.
By Dean Pitton ·
Feature explainer
GSPro: cost, computer requirements and compatible launch monitors
GSPro is a yearly subscription that plays golfer-built courses on a Windows gaming PC with your launch monitor, and some launch monitors add a membership to the cost.
By Dean Pitton ·
Product comparison
Bushnell Launch Pro vs Foresight GC3
The Bushnell Launch Pro was developed with Foresight Sports and costs hundreds of dollars less than the Foresight GC3, and the GC3 shows how your club moves through impact without a paid membership.
By Dean Pitton ·
Feature explainer
Launch monitors: what they measure vs. what they calculate
Indoors, every launch monitor calculates carry from the ball's launch conditions, so a unit that calculates spin instead of measuring it can show the wrong carry even when ball speed is exact.
By Dean Pitton ·
Best of
Best Golf Launch Monitors
The Bushnell Launch Pro is our pick because owners trust the Launch Pro's ball data, and other picks cover long sessions at the range, swing video and putting practice.
By Dean Pitton ·
Best of
Best Golf Launch Monitors Under $1,000
The Garmin R10 is our pick because owners say R10 distances match what they see at the range, mostly with irons and wedges, and other picks cover swing video, a screen and remote, and a tight budget.
By Dean Pitton ·
Product comparison
Square Golf Home Edition vs Square Golf Omni
The Square Golf Home Edition costs less but reads spin off the ball only with marked balls such as the dotted ones in its box, and the Omni reads spin from regular golf balls.
By Dean Pitton ·
Product comparison
FlightScope Mevo Gen 2 vs Mevo+
The Mevo Gen 2 runs longer on a charge and is FlightScope's current model, and the discontinued Mevo+ costs less.
By Dean Pitton ·
Product comparison
Garmin R10 vs Rapsodo MLM2PRO
The Garmin R10 shows its club data in a free app, and the Rapsodo MLM2PRO films every swing.
By Dean Pitton ·
Product comparison
Garmin R10 vs Rapsodo MLM2PRO vs Square Golf
The Square Golf sits beside the ball for a room with limited depth but stays indoors, the Garmin R10 goes to the range in the rain, and the Rapsodo MLM2PRO films every swing but puts club path and attack angle behind a membership.
By Dean Pitton ·
Product comparison
Garmin R10 vs SkyTrak+
The SkyTrak+ suits a room with limited depth and measures spin with ordinary golf balls, and the Garmin R10 costs less and is rated to get wet at the range.
By Dean Pitton ·